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Well the ARU went into the current negotiations with the preference for 2 separate stand alone conferences that didn't meet until finals. This was knocked back by the NZRU, SARU and apparently all the broadcasters. I don't think the concern is with the Waratahs ratings late at night, but that...

So the South American qualifiers were held this weekend. It was done in a straight round robin format. No finals. No surprise to see Argentina qualify undefeated in the mens. But quite a surprise that Colombia qualified undefeated in the women's event. Apparently they did so in very dramatic...

Do you think a change in format would change the ratings?

I'm with those that would change the red card to 20 minutes then replaced. There's no reason to make it virtually impossible for the team (whose teammate has let them down) to compete. I think the suggestion that teams would then start sending out their worst player to badly injure the...

Probably a good thing (for the Olympics womens tournament) that England qualified in 4th. If the US had done so then a very weak team would have qualified from North America. Going to be a tough battle between France, Russia, Spain and even Netherlands for the European spot.

That's if he gets picked. Fiji arguably have better wingers than we do to pick from.

Stirzaker is good in this regard. Really gets stuck in when he needs to. Just saw the recording and thought he played well against the Stormers overnight in a match where he was constantly under pressure. Would pick him ahead of Genia at this stage.

I told them I think they should focus on building up the NRC and Super Rugby. Improve these competitions and our teams in them and you'll get better Wallabies, more rugby fans in multiple markets, more heroes for kids to want to emulate and greater participation and investment in the grassroots...

I think the ideal for the Eagles would be to have a couple of those sort of guys underneath a Mike Friday equivalent. I think going straight from an amateur set up to head coach at test level is too big a step up. They need a foreign coach that's fully committed to living in the US and getting...

I think we will probably win but anything can happen in a one off game. Could also be influenced by professional XV's players. It's only been the last 2 years that we've finished ahead of them in the series. They must have a few guys that played on their superior sevens team 3-5 years ago that...

The US performance this season, culminating in this victory shows the impact of world class coaching. Since Mike Friday took over they've got so much better. At the moment their XV's team is coached by a local guy who has no professional experience. Give them a couple of years under a world...

Pfft, you won't find many more optimistic than me. I'm always for any global expansion initiatives. But you gotta be aware of the challenges! US Rugby and the ARU can't just expect to fill the stadium, they'll have to work hard for it.

The Eagles have another Aussie lock playing professionally in the UK in Hayden Smith. You'd have to think there's a decent chance they'll both play against the Wallabies.

Because if it's a success it can mean bigger matches in future. A flop would be a set back. Rugby has had really impressive growth in the US over the last 5 years or so. It's a potentially huge rugby market that the ARU and SANZAR should be looking to help grow for our own benefit as much as...

Hopefully they'll get a decent crowd in Chicago, but there are some challenges. The All Blacks game sold out after a significant marketing effort from AIG and a lot of the crowd had flown in from other parts of the country. This match is not nearly as significant now. The Wallabies are not as...

It could easily be the USA at the final tournament. Canada beat them 40-0 in Glasgow. I think we're about a 65% chance of winning the Oceania qualifier, and if we lose that then not much more than 50% to win the final one. Losing to Samoa and Canada or USA wouldn't be that big a shock.

That is one of the worst mistakes I've ever seen from a video review. The English player clearly knocked the ball on. I don't know how the ref could have seen it otherwise. Terrible decision and one that has ended up contributing to an English victory that has basically ended our chances of...

You could be right, but I reckon Cheika will rest certain players. Probably most of the starting tight 5, especially if they play all of our other 4 games. And I think if there's anyone in the squad that got no game time in the RC they'll at least be on the bench. Don't think you want anyone...

If the USA test match happens then I doubt this would be the case. Perhaps the ARU would be wise to organise an Australia A match or 2 during the Rugby Championship to give some more opportunities for these fringe guys. Surely a match against the Maori or Junior All Blacks (which is a...

So are Japan U-20's a genuinely decent side or did we just play terribly? I think it'd be quite beneficial to Australian rugby if Japan one day becomes truly competitive.